It’s reproduced from an article I wrote for that excellent site and is a list of twelve different memories from the original Nottingham Ice Rink located on Lower parliament Street, Nottingham, which part of the modern Nottingham Arena now stands on. The memories and nostalgia travel right back to season 1980/81 when The Nottingham Panthers were reformed and brought back to The Lace City.

The man who made it all possible. Gary Keward, Coach and reformer of the modern era Nottingham Panthers.

Whilst the memories itemised here and mostly positive one, It’s important to add that not all my experiences were as savoury when visiting the old barn. I could probably wax less than lyrical on that subject though that’s probably another article entirely. In the meantime, here are a dozen of the best that come immediately to mind. I’m sure any fan of the Black and Gold, and a good few visiting fans will find pleasant memories jogged by the following.

1. The tiny little tuck shop with the sweetie jars as you turned left after the front foyer. Always a friendly face or two peering out from the little store on game night. None of that ‘concessions’ nonsense.

2. The life-size cardboard cut out figure of the ‘new’ hockey hero Mario Lemieux in the old skate shop in the foyer. We were thrilling to the exploits of ‘The Great One’, Wayne Gretzky and watching the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers on all-to-rare an occasion on our British TV screens when ‘The Magnificent One’ came along. Just like having the real thing…

The Tracks of My Tears

Hi, my name is Stuart Frew and I began The Tears of a Clown in August 2007 after experimenting with a few online ideas as a repository for my thoughts and words. My favoured themes can be located below as can a full site search and historical archives for the site. I like to talk about sport (Hibernian FC in particular), music, history and travel, amongst many diverse topics. I’m trained in Psychology but no, sadly, I can’t read your mind.

Please take a look around and feel free to leave a comment or two. I always attempt to reply to visitor’s contributions. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read the site.